The Trump administration has ignited a fierce bipartisan backlash after releasing only a portion of the Jeffrey Epstein-related documents it was legally required to make public by a Friday deadline. Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have accused President Donald Trump of "moving the goalpost" and violating federal law.
Deadline Day Release Sparks Immediate Condemnation
Federal law, specifically the Epstein Files Transparency Act, mandated that the Justice Department release all its records concerning the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein by Friday 19 December 2025. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche told Fox News that the department would meet the deadline by releasing "several hundred thousand documents" initially, with several hundred thousand more to follow over the "next couple of weeks."
Around 4 p.m. on the deadline day, the DoJ did publish thousands of documents and images from criminal investigations into Epstein. However, the admission that the full release would take weeks has infuriated lawmakers who fought for the law's passage.
Senator Adam Schiff, a California Democrat, stated on X: "The Epstein Files Transparency Act is clear: while protecting survivors, ALL of these records are required to be released today. Not just some. The Trump administration can't move the goalposts. They're cemented in law."
A Rare Moment of Bipartisan Agreement in Anger
The frustration united typically opposed figures. Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, who has recently clashed with Trump, demanded: "My goodness, what is in the Epstein files? Release all the files. It’s literally the law."
In a joint statement, House Oversight Committee Ranking Member Robert Garcia and House Judiciary Ranking Member Jamie Raskin said the administration "are now violating federal law as they continue covering up the facts and the evidence about Jeffrey Epstein’s decades-long, billion-dollar, international sex trafficking ring."
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer echoed this, declaring the partial release showed the Department of Justice, Trump, and Attorney General Pam Bondi were "hellbent on hiding the truth."
White House Defence and Legal Exemptions
The White House pushed back against the criticism. Spokesperson Abigail Jackson told The Independent: "The Trump Administration is the most transparent in history. By releasing thousands of pages of documents, cooperating with the House Oversight Committee’s subpoena request, and President Trump recently calling for further investigations into Epstein’s Democrat friends, the Trump Administration has done more for the victims than Democrats ever have."
The legislation, which Trump signed on 19 November after initial opposition, does permit certain redactions. The Justice Department is not required to release material that could identify victims, depict child sexual abuse, or jeopardise active federal investigations.
Representative Thomas Massie, the Kentucky Republican who co-led the push for the law's passage, highlighted the statute's text and simply posted on X as the deadline passed: "Time’s up. Release the files." The episode ensures continued intense scrutiny over the administration's handling of one of the most notorious criminal cases in recent memory.
